Yahoo News

President Donald Trump reorganized his National Security Council on Wednesday, removing his chief strategist,Stephen Bannon, and downgrading the role of his Homeland Security Adviser,Tom Bossert, according to a person familiar with the decision and a regulatory filing.

National Security AdviserH.R. McMaster was given responsibility for setting the agenda for meetings of the NSC or the Homeland Security Council, and was authorized to delegate that authority to Bossert, at his discretion, according to the filing.
Continue reading “Bannon Removed From National Security Council Role in Shakeup”

Newsline – by Rommel Parane

Three illegal aliens accused of murdering a teenager in Virginia are now in police custody and are currently detained in a Virginia jail.

The three Salvadorans that were charged by the prosecutor belong to the violent MS-13 street gang, and have been slapped with second-degree murder for their participation in the killing of 17-year-old Raymond Wood, Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown announced Friday Afternoon.   Continue reading “Three Illegal Aliens Charged with Murder of Teenager in Virginia”

Fox News

As the U.S. and other Western nations sharply denounced the Assad and Putin regimes for the deadly gas attack in Syria, Russia on Wednesday tried to deflect blame by pointing to Syrian rebels.

“It’s necessary to demand that the rebels offer full access to study the area and collect necessary information,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.   Continue reading “Syria gas attack: Russia deflects at UN Security Council”

NBC News

A fighter jet has crashed in a wooded area about two miles south of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, a fire official said about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Homes near the scene are being evacuated as a precaution due to the possibility of hazardous materials, Mark Brady of Prince George’s County Fire & EMS said. Authorities are knocking on the doors of homes and are alerting residents.   Continue reading “F-16 Jet Crashes Near Joint Base Andrews”

Bloomberg – by Catherine Traywick and Sheela Tobben

China became the biggest buyer of U.S. crude oil in February, surpassing Canada, at a time when OPEC is cutting back output.

China imported 8.08 million barrels of U.S. light crude, nearly quadrupling its January purchases, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau Tuesday. That helped boost U.S. exports to a record 31.2 million barrels during the month. Canada, the U.S.’s largest trade partner, imported 6.84 million, down 20 percent from a month earlier.  Continue reading “China becomes top importer of US crude”

AP

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Tuesday was the deadline for companies to propose designs for President Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will ask several of the bidders to build prototypes in San Diego.

The government won’t identify companies until contracts are awarded around June 1 — and even then, only the winners — but some bidders released plans on their own.   Continue reading “Border wall bids include tourist attraction, solar panels”

RT

At least 31 people were killed and 40 wounded in overnight attacks carried out by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in the city of Tikrit, central Iraq, Reuters reported, citing Iraqi security sources and medics.

The attackers were wearing police uniforms and used a police vehicle to enter the city, Police Colonel Khalid Mahmoud told Reuters, adding that there were around 10 militants, including two suicide bombers.   Continue reading “At least 31 killed, 40 wounded in ISIS attack in Tikrit, Iraq – police & medics”

Mail.com

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Government inspections of railroads that haul volatile crude oil across the United States have uncovered almost 24,000 safety defects, including problems similar to those blamed in derailments that triggered massive fires or oil spills in Oregon, Virginia, Montana and elsewhere, according to data obtained by The Associated Press.

The safety defects were discovered during targeted federal inspections on almost 58,000 miles of oil train routes in 44 states. The inspection program began two years ago following a string of oil train accidents across North America, including a 2013 derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that killed 47 people.   Continue reading “Thousands of defects found on oil train routes”

Mail.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The missile in North Korea’s latest launch didn’t fly very far, but it may have been the second test of a technology that worries experts. The launch Wednesday into waters off North Korea’s east coast came shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this week, raising speculation that it might have been timed to get their attention.

Initial U.S. and South Korean assessments indicate it was a KN-15 medium-range missile, whose first known test by North Korea was in February. The KN-15, known as “Pukguksong-2” in North Korea, uses pre-loaded solid fuel, which shortens launch preparation times, boosts its mobility and makes it harder for outsiders to detect ahead of liftoff. Most North Korean missiles use liquid propellant, which generally must be added to the missile on the launch pad before firing.   Continue reading “North Korea may have tested new technology in latest missile”

Mail.com

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — Just five people were eating dinner on a recent weeknight at a Texas church that is a stopping point for newly arrived immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. On a typical night last year, hundreds of immigrants might come through the church.

Immigrants who are still coming say many people in their home countries are staying home amid fears about President Donald Trump’s immigration rhetoric, putting off coming to the U.S. until they see how his policies play out.   Continue reading “Border turns quiet under Trump amid steep drop in arrests”

Pima County Sheriff’s Department

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is calling on employees and the public for design suggestions for our next generation of patrol vehicles. The winning design concept will be applied to NEW fleet additions and will be limited to our current cost of outfitting vehicles. Designs can be submitted to pcsdpio@sheriff.pima.gov through 04/27/17. At that time Sheriff Napier will narrow the choices to a final few and we will open up selection to a vote by the public online running from May 4, 2017 through May 11, Continue reading “Design A Sheriff’s Vehicle Competition”

Bloomberg – by Anthony Capaccio

The U.S. Air Force’s military transport chief is tapping Silicon Valley, the defense industry and the Pentagon’s new innovation office in search of electronic cloaking technologies out of “Star Trek” to shrink the profiles of aerial tankers on enemy radar.

“I’ve got airplanes with big fat bodies and long wings,” General Carlton Everhart, head of the Air Mobility Command, said Tuesday in an interview at Bloomberg’s headquarters in New York. “I’ve got first-generation tankers refueling fifth-gen fighters. The enemy doesn’t have to look for the fighter — he just has to look for me.”   Continue reading “This Air Force General Wants a Cloaking Device for His Aerial Tankers”

Reuters –  by Joseph Ax

The Trump administration’s decision to review federal agreements with troubled police departments nationwide could imperil ongoing reform efforts, particularly in Baltimore and Chicago, civil rights advocates said on Tuesday, even as city officials vowed to continue pursuing improvements.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ memorandum ordering the review endangers one of the key legacies of former President Barack Obama, whose Department of Justice reached more than a dozen agreements with police departments over constitutional abuses.   Continue reading “Activists fear federal review of U.S. police agreements could imperil reforms”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON — Days before President Trump hosts his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a top U.S. official warned Tuesday that “the clock has run out” on decades of diplomatic efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and military action may ultimately be necessary.

“The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table for us,” the official told reporters at a briefing held on condition that he not be identified by name.   Continue reading “Ahead of Trump-Xi summit, U.S. warns clock has ‘run out’ on N. Korea”

Reuters – by Dustin Volz

A majority of Americans are unwilling to share their personal emails, text messages, phone calls and records of online activity with U.S. counter-terrorism investigators – even to help foil terror plots, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday.

The poll showed Americans were more reluctant to share personal information than when the poll last asked the question four years ago.   Continue reading “Most Americans unwilling to give up privacy to thwart attacks: Reuters/Ipsos poll”

Breitbart – by Penny Starr

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to add new jobs available at the agency following its temporary exemption from President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze.

The agency is nonetheless a long way from filling what VA Secretary David Shulkin told lawmakers amounts to as many as 45,000 vacant positions, multiple media outlets are reporting.   Continue reading “VA Department Still Struggling to Fill as Many as 45,000 Job Openings”